Women and the War

Women were mobilized during World War II as never before, employed in home front factories and in running efficient wartime households. The United States Army had fewer than 1,000 nurses in its Nurse Corps when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. By the end of World War II, more than 50,000 women had served in this capacity. Some were stationed in the United States, but many served under enemy fire in hospitals overseas. This poster appealed to woman’s desire to serve her country directly, while also discovering new opportunities for herself.

Designed by H. Price for the U.S. Public Health Service, these humorous vignettes instruct wives and mothers in ways to help the factory men in their lives stay safe and healthy and thereby remain productive workers.